Stapled: That's a New One
by QweenGwen
Summary: The team is headed back to California. Cal State Fullerton has a odd killer. A professor was murdered, and with him the unsub left an unconscious student with the professor. Something was different with this case. How will the unconscious student's personal life play a part? CASE FIC, probably a 2 or 3 shot. It is more Morgan and Reid centered because I love them, but NO SLASH!


**Background: We are in like mid seventh season, so the team is back together :) YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not know anything you recognize including but not limited to Criminal Minds and CSU Fullerton.**

**Warning: Ok so a slight warning on mentions of domestic abuse, very slight so only T rating.**

* * *

"God I hate having an office in the basement." Dr. Walker huffed.

"Oh, come on now Harriet at least you have an office, I'm stuck in the part-time faculty hodge podge room." Dr. Hugh responded.

"True, but you have to say the basement is a creepy- AHHHH" Dr. Walker stopped dead in her tracks, screaming at the sight before her.

Dr. Hugh ran up behind her, "What is- Oh my call the police, someone call the police!"

* * *

"We're needed back in California guys" Garcia began. Pictures filled the screen as Garcia began explaining the case, "This is Dr. Ryan Nicholas, a math professor at Cal State Fullerton in Orange County. He was found stabbed to death just outside his office last night. This is Kelsey Reeves, a sophomore. She was found unconscious next to Dr. Nicholas. Now this is the creepy BAU part of the story. She was stripped down to her underwear and had a series of 17 photos _stapled_ to her body." Garcia cringed as she said stapled.

"Well that's a new one" Rossi commented.

"It appears the unsub used a staple gun" Morgan commented, wincing slightly.

"Has anyone spoken to Miss Reeves yet?" Reid asked.

Garcia looked through her information again, "Um, no it looks like she hasn't woken up yet, I guess you guys can get more information on that when you get there."

"Yes, Reid, Morgan you guys will head to the hospital once we land. Ok guys wheels up in 30." With that Hotch left the room, slowly others began to leave.

Once on the plane the team began discussing the case again. "So why was there a student in his office that late at night, I mean 9pm seems a little late on a Tuesday." Morgan commented.

"Well it's not uncommon" Reid tried to supply, "But seeing as he has a wife and three children at home, it does seem odd." Everyone nodded.

"And these pictures," JJ began, "They are all the same man, could it be another victim?"

Reid studied the pictures again; he stopped listening to the planes conversation. There was something similar in each one, not just that they were of the same man, but like a pattern in them, something connecting each one to the next. He shook his head, trying to focus.

"See something Reid?" Hotch's voice brought Reid out of his trance.

"Oh, uh maybe. I need to see the originals" he responded.

Hotch nodded, "After the hospital, you and Morgan can head back to the station to start on the pictures. Rossi, Prentiss you guys head to the morgue to see the body, JJ and I'll go to the college." The plane conversation died down, each member returning to their private things. Reid sat back, closed his eyes and tried to focus on the photos again. He moved them around in his head, shuffled them, trying to see what the connection was.

* * *

'Where am I?' Kelly thought. 'It's really bright, and it seems so … Arg it smells like the inside of a bottle of purel.' She tried to sit up but someone was stopping her, they were saying something, but she couldn't understand.

"Ah, stop. Please don't touch me. Get off!" Kelly screamed, flailing her arms around.

"Shh, Miss Reeves. You're safe. You're in the hospital. Calm down, shh you're safe." Someone was telling her.

'Hospital?' She thought, 'Why the hospital? What happened? Why can't I remember?' Just then she remembered the guy talking to her.

"Wait hospital?" She asked him.

"Yes, you were brought in last night. Do you remember what happened?"

Kelly went pale, "Oh my god. He finally did it. He. Oh my god. I'm in the hospital." Kelly started hyperventilating. People were talking to her, but she couldn't hear them, she couldn't breathe, then everything went dark.

* * *

Morgan was walking towards Kelsey Reeves' hospital room. He had stopped in the cafeteria to talk to the family. He was surprised to find not only the mother and father but also a grandmother and two brothers. The family didn't know much about their daughter's life at school other than the generic. It's not uncommon for college students to not share their personal lives with their parents. 'Maybe Hotch and JJ will have more luck at the school with her friends.' Morgan thought.

Morgan stopped just short of the room, seeing Reid leaning his head against the wall next to her room. "Hey what's going on?"

Reid looked up, "Oh, she woke up, but had a panic attack and they had to sedate her. It seems that she might know the unsub."

Morgan nodded, "Well that's something. Her family didn't know much."

"Ok, well I'm going to head back to the station to work with the pictures. You can stay here to talk to her when she wakes up. Be careful, she's really scared, and did not like people touching her."

"Ok, I'll call if I learn anything, and I'll update Hotch" Morgan said. Reid nodded his understanding and walked away.

Just then the doctor exited the room. "Uh, doc what can you tell me?"

"Let's start with her injuries. The staple wounds have been cleaned and bandaged; however a few of them are infected so we have her on antibiotics. We were worried about a concussion, but the blow to the head wasn't as bad as we originally thought. Though without talking to her more we can't be sure, so we will just have to wait for her to wake again. We did run a rape kit when she arrived but found no signs of sexual assault. She will need a lot of rest, but she will make a full recovery and should be waking in another hour or so."

"Thanks" Morgan said.

"Yes, um there is more however. It seems that Miss Reeves has sustained some serious injuries in the past couple of months that are not reported in her medical record. She also has some old bruising on her wrists and neck. I think this may be a case of domestic abuse."

Morgan nodded his understanding and the doctor left. Morgan quickly called Hotch and updated him before going into the room and taking a seat in a chair by the bed, 'Man, no wonder she's scared' Morgan thought as he looked at the young woman. 'Damn, she's only 20.' Morgan was getting angry, his protective nature flaring up.

* * *

Back at the station Reid was sitting hunched over the photos. He kept moving them into different orders, spreading them out in different patterns. He felt like he was so close. Just then Prentiss and Rossi walked in.

"So the ME says he was stabbed in the throat first judging by the loss of blood, then post-mortem the unsub stabbed the man in the back." Rossi started.

"Definitely screams betrayal. Could fit in with the affair theory we were working with." Prentiss suggested.

"Uh, ya. Wait affair?" Reid asked.

"Ya we discussed that on the plane, um Earth to Reid." Prentiss was looking at Reid with worry.

"Oh sorry, these photos are bugging me. I can almost see the connection but it's evading me." Reid answered.

"Ok, so what did you find out at the hospital?" Rossi asked. Reid explained what Morgan had gathered from the family, and what had happened with Kelsey Reeves. Just after he had finished explaining, Hotch and JJ came walking into the station.

"So it looks like Dr. Nicholas was killed in his office, and then was dragged out into the hallway. The unsub wanted them found quickly." Hotch began.

"Turns out Kelsey is active in the school, she is in their math club, some other school clubs, she is also a tutor, and had a campus job as a TA. In addition she is going to be graduating next spring a year early. This girl worked around the clock." JJ said with a slight smile, but it turned to a frown as she continued, "It seems Kelsey doesn't have many friends. Most only know her from classes. Almost no one knows anything about her personal life however."

"But that follows with what the doctor told Morgan. The doctor found pasts injuries leading her to believe that Kelsey is in a violent relationship." Hotch began, "She was isolating herself from friends, family, throwing herself into work and school to prove she was ok. Classic behavior" he finished.

The team was nodding, Reid spoke up, "I've been looking at the photos, and there is a connection. I just need more time."

Hotch nodded, "I'll get Garcia to find the man in the pictures. I'll also have her look into Dr. Nicholas' finances to suggest an affair, as well as Kelsey's life to find her abuser."

A couple of minutes later, Reid jumped out of his chair. Gathering the pictures up, he began to shuffle through them, placing them into a certain order. He then stacked the photos all together and holding one end of the stack he quickly flipped through them, like a flip book.

"I got it." Reid called out, "It's a flip book. Did you know that flip books actually started-" Reid stopped himself, "Oh sorry I was rambling. Getting to the point, look" Reid flipped through the pictures again, "Did you see that? His mouth it was moving." Reid flipped through the photos again to show his team.

"Oh, he is" Prentiss said in shock.

"Call Garcia, I can't make out what he is saying. Maybe she can scan the photos and zoom in." Hotch said.

"Ok, I'll call" Reid responded.

"Good job, kiddo" Rossi said. JJ, Prentiss and Hotch echoed the older agent.

Reid pulled out his phone and called Garcia. "Hey now my Boy Genius I didn't know that big brain of yours could read minds as well."

"Huh, no I can't read minds." Reid answered plainly.

Garcia laughed, "Well you just have perfect timing then, because I got your guy. The man in the photos is a Mr. Jeffrey Stones. He is a fifth year senior, majoring is bio-chemistry. He lives alone not far from campus, and was reported missing last week."

"Oh, thanks Garcia. Can you zoom in on the photos, focusing on his mouth? I noticed the photos make up a flip book of sorts and he seems to be saying something." Reid began to tell her the order of the photos.

"Ok, I'll let you know. Oh my goodness I totally forgot what else I found. Well there is nothing out of the ordinary with Dr. Nicholas's finances. He seems clean as a whistle. Then there is Kelsey Reeves. Man this girl is nonexistent. She has no online presence other than a few tagged photos on some social networking sites and her email is almost all school related. Nothing there. Now her phone is another story. That girl can text. She is almost in constant connection with four people, a Scott Anderson, Melissa Baer, Katherine Bates, and a Charles Var." Garcia took a breath; she hated looking into the victims lives like this. "Reid, after looking through these messages, Kelsey was in trouble."

"I know Garcia. We suspect she was in an abusive relationship." Reid responded.

"You bet. Damn this guy is a creep. Ok, so her scumbag boyfriend is Charles Var. He had total control over her. Though there is some small light. It looks like she told this Scott Anderson guy about the relationship. She was outright scared by this guy. In her phone she listed Scott under a different name, and always was deleting her texts."

"That was to protect herself. Her boyfriend probably checked her phone constantly." Reid supplied.

"Ok, well her last message was to Scott or Shelly as she had him down in her phone. She told him she was meeting a professor for help. Doesn't say what kind of help, but we can only assume right?"

"Yes, thanks Garcia. I'll let the team know" Reid said.

"Kay go get this dirt bag! PG out" Garcia said.

* * *

**A/N Ok so how was the first chapter? This was actually a dream of mine, I know I'm that wierdo that dreams of murder. So should I continue? This is where my dream ended, any suggestions on where to go with it? Review please.**


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